weekly round up - nationalias.com€¦ · 18-01-2020 · the year 2019 was one of extremes —...

National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 13th to 18th January 2020 Contact: 9632334466

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PRESENTS

WEEKLY ROUND UP (13th TO 18th January 2020)

JAYANAGAR BRANCH: LUCKY PARADISE, 2ND FLOOR, 8TH F MAIN ROAD, 22ND CROSS,

OPPOSITE TO ICICI BANK, 3RD BLOCK, JAYANAGAR, BANGALORE -560011


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INDEX

SL

NO

TOPIC PAGE

NO

Connect to Prelims

1 INDIAN COBRA GENOME DECODED 3

2 PROTECTING POWER 3

3 STATEMENT ON CLIMATE OF INDIA DURING 2019 4

4 PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY IN ARMED

CONFLICT

5

5 NEON 5

6 SEA GUARDIANS 6

7 COASTAL REGULATION ZONE (CRZ) RULES 7

8 ARTEMIS PROGRAM 7

9 H9N2 8

10 SECOND WETLAND BIRD COUNT (KAZIRANGA) 8

11 LEVELS AND TRENDS IN CHILD MORTALITY 9

12 ICGS ANNIE BESANT; ICGS AMRIT KAUR 10

13 QABOOS BIN SAID AL SAID 10

14 MAKAR SANKRANTI 11

15 KAIFI AZMI 11


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CONNECT TO PRELIMS

1. INDIAN COBRA GENOME DECODED

An international team of researchers have reported that they have sequenced the genome

of the Indian cobra, in the process identifying the genes that define its venom.

This, they hope, can provide a blueprint for developing more effective antivenom.

In the Indian cobra genome, the authors identified 19 key toxin genes, the only ones that

should matter in snakebite treatment.

They stress the need to leverage this knowledge for creation of antivenom using synthetic

human antibodies.

Targeting these 19 specific toxins using synthetic human antibodies should lead to a safe

and effective antivenom for treating Indian cobra bites.

2. PROTECTING POWER

Following the killing of Iranian military and intelligence commander Major General

Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone attack carried out by the United States, the

Iranian government registered its protest with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

Switzerland represents the interests of the US in Iran.

This is because the US itself does not have an embassy there.

Iran’s interests in the United States, on the other hand, are represented by the Pakistan

Embassy in Washington.


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In an arrangement such as this, Switzerland is the “Protecting Power” of the United

States’ interests in Iran.

The instrument of Protecting Powers is provided for under the 1961 and 1963 Vienna

Conventions on Diplomatic Relations.

They state that If diplomatic relations are broken off between two States, the sending

State may entrust the protection of its interests and those of its nationals to a third State

acceptable to the receiving State.

3. STATEMENT ON CLIMATE OF INDIA DURING 2019

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) released its weather summary titled the

‘Statement on Climate of India during 2019.’

The average temperature during 2019 rose by 0.36 degrees celsius, making this the

seventh warmest year on record.

The year 2016 was by far the warmest year recorded.

The decade 2011-19 was the warmest on record for the country. The report highlighted

that India had warmed by 1 degree Celsius since 1901.

Arabian Sea brewed more cyclonic storms than the Bay of Bengal in 2019.

This was only the second time in 117 years that the Arabian Sea saw such intense and

frequent cyclones.

The year 2019 was one of extremes — heat, cold, rain and cyclones — for India, killing a

total of 1,562 people. The previous year, total deaths caused due to similar weather

vagaries was 1,428.

Rain and flood alone claimed 849 lives, with Bihar being the worst affected state due to

unprecedented weather events experienced during all the seasons last year.

The causes of deaths due to extreme weather events last year were as follows: heavy rain

and floods 849, heatwave 349, thunderstorm 210, lightning 75, snow avalanche 51 and

cold wave 28.

4. PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY IN ARMED CONFLICT


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President Donald Trump tweeted that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets,

in retaliation, the US would target 52 sites in Iran which are important to Iranian culture.

Such a step, should he follow through on his threat, could be considered a war crime.

The nations of the world adopted at The Hague in 1954, The Convention for the

Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the first international

treaty focussed exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage during war and armed

conflict.

The Convention defined cultural property as “movable or immovable property of great

importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture,

art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites….”, etc.

The Rome Statute of 1998, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court,

describes as a “war crime” any intentional attack against a historical monument, or a

building dedicated to religion, education, art, or science.

5. NEON


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Samsung’s Star Labs has officially unveiled Neon as its latest artificial intelligence (AI)

powered project.

Neons are Artificial Intelligence virtual beings capable of showing human-like emotions

and intelligence.

Neons look and behave like a real human, with the ability to show emotions and

intelligence.

Neons can learn new skills and form memories from experiences.

Neons are capable of human-like interactions and have the ability to communicate with

human affect, learn from experiences and even form new memories.

They can serve as an individualised teacher, a personal financial advisor, a healthcare

provider, or a concierge.

Neons are digitally composed next-generation artificial intelligent entities created Star

Labs’ CORE R3 and SPECTRA engines.

The CORE R3 engine has been revealed to bring lifelike reality and realtime

responsiveness to Neons.

The SPECTRA engine is responsible for providing the Neons with intelligence, learning,

emotions and memory.

6. SEA GUARDIANS

The sixth bilateral naval exercise between China and Pakistan, code-named Sea

Guardians-2020 was recently held in the northern Arabian Sea, with the purpose of

enhancing security cooperation between the two countries.

This is the sixth joint naval exercise between china and Pakistan, but it is the first time

that the exercise was named “sea guardians.”

Sea guardians is expected to become a series of naval exercises with Pakistan, similar to

the ‘warrior’ series of joint land exercises and the shaheen series of joint air exercises.

The exercise is also the first between China and Pakistan that will feature anti-submarine

and submarine rescue training, indicating a high-level of strategic mutual trust.


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7. COASTAL REGULATION ZONE (CRZ) RULES

The four illegal apartment complexes in Maradu, Kerala, was razed by controlled

implosion on the orders of the Supreme Court for breaching Coastal Regulation Zone

(CRZ) norms.

The court had called the illegal constructions a “colossal loss” to the environment.

In India, the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules govern human and industrial activity

close to the coastline, in order to protect the fragile ecosystems near the sea.

They restrict certain kinds of activities — like large constructions, setting up of new

industries — within a certain distance from the coastline.

Under the rules, the regulation zone has been defined as the area up to 500 m from the

high-tide line.

The restrictions depend on criteria such as the population of the area, the ecological

sensitivity, the distance from the shore, and whether the area had been designated as a

natural park or wildlife zone.

The Rules have a no-development zone of 20 m for all islands close to the mainland

coast, and for all backwater islands in the mainland.

8. ARTEMIS PROGRAM

Indian American Raja Chari is among 11 new astronauts who joined NASA’s ranks.


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The new graduates are the first to graduates since NASA announced its Artemis

programme.

NASA wants to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by the year 2024,

which it plans on doing through the Artemis lunar exploration program.

With the Artemis program, NASA wishes to demonstrate new technologies, capabilities

and business approaches that will ultimately be needed for the future exploration of Mars.

For the Artemis program, NASA’s new rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS)

will send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft a quarter of a million miles away from

Earth to the lunar orbit.

Once astronauts dock Orion at the Gateway — which is a small spaceship in orbit around

the moon — the astronauts will be able to live and work around the Moon, and from the

spaceship, astronauts will take expeditions to the surface of the Moon.

The astronauts going for the Artemis program will wear newly designed spacesuits, called

Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or xEMU.

9. H9N2

Indian scientists of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune have detected the

country’s first case of infection with avian influenza A(H9N2).

H9N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes human influenza as well as bird

flu.

The H9N2 subtype was isolated for the first time in Wisconsin, US in 1966 from turkey

flocks.

H9N2 viruses are found worldwide in wild birds and are endemic in poultry in many

areas.

H9N2 virus infections in humans are rare, but likely under-reported due to typically mild

symptoms of the infections.

10. SECOND WETLAND BIRD COUNT (KAZIRANGA)


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Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam, has recorded 96

species of wetland birds, as per the second wetland bird count conducted by officials of

the park.

The second wetland bird count revealed a total of 19,225 birds belonging to 96 species of

80 families.

The first wetland bird count, conducted in 2018, revealed a total of 10,412 birds covering

80 species under 21 families.

With 6,181 individuals, the bar-headed goose led the species count, followed by the

common teal at 1,557 and northern pintail at 1,359.

All three belong to the family anatidae.

More than half the birds (9,924) and 85 of 96 species were recorded in Agoratoli Range

of the park because Sohola, the largest of Kaziranga’s 92 perennial wetland, falls in this

range.

11. LEVELS AND TRENDS IN CHILD MORTALITY

The ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ report was released by the United Nations

(UN) inter-agency group for child mortality.

A child or a young adolescent died every five seconds in 2018.

The major causes of neonatal mortality are pre-term birth, intrapartum related events, and

neonatal infection.

Half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. India and Nigeria alone account for

about a third.

Current trends predict that close to 10 million 5- to 14-year-olds, and 52 million children

under 5 years of age, will die between 2019 and 2030.

In 2018, fewer countries showed gender disparities in child mortality, and across the

world, boys are expected to have a higher probability of dying before reaching age 5 than

girls. But this trend was not reflected in India.


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12. ICGS ANNIE BESANT; ICGS AMRIT KAUR

Two Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) — Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur — were

commissioned by Defence Secretary.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur are second and third in the series

of five Fast Patrol Vessels.

While Annie Besant will be based at Chennai, Amrit Kaur will be based at Haldia.

The ships are fitted with state-of-the-art technology, and navigation equipment, along

with Bofors 40/60 guns and 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote Controlled Guns for enhanced

fighting efficiency.

The ships are built indigenously by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)

Ltd, Kolkata.

CGS Annie Besant has been named in honour of Ms Annie Besant, a theosophist,

women’s rights activist and supporter of Indian freedom. She contributed in foundation of

Banaras Hindu University (BHU). In 1916, she established the Indian Home Rule

League, of which she became President.

ICGS Amrit Kaur derives her name from Ms Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur who took an active

part in Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. She served the Independent India as its

first Health Minister. She was the founder member of All India Womens’ Conference and

founder President of Indian Council for Child Welfare.

13. QABOOS BIN SAID AL SAID


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Oman’s monarch, Sultan Qaboos bin Said died after having ruled the country for nearly

five decades.

He was succeeded by Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al Said as Sultan of Oman.

Qaboos bin Said Al Said (1940 – 2020) was the Sultan of Oman from 1970 until his

death.

A fourteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said, he was the

longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death.

As Sultan, Qaboos implemented a policy of modernization and brought an end to Oman's

international isolation.

His reign saw a rise in living standards and development in the country, the abolition of

slavery, the end of the Dhofar Rebellion and the promulgation of Oman's constitution.

In 2004, Government of India honoured him with the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for

International Understanding.

14. MAKAR SANKRANTI

The President of India greeted fellow citizens on the eve of the festivals of Lohri, Makar

Sankranti, Pongal, Bhogali Bihu, Uttarayan and Paush Parbon.

These festivals are celebrated in diverse yet similar ways, across India.

Makar Sankranti is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, in reference to deity Surya (sun).

Makar Sankranti is observed according to solar cycles. It is held normally on the 14th of

January, or a day before or after. In certain regions celebrations can go on for even four

days and vary a lot in the rituals.

It goes by its standard all-India name, ‘Makar Sankranti’ in Odisha, Maharashtra-Goa,

Andhra-Telengana, Kerala and most of the north India.

15. KAIFI AZMI


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Google released a doodle on the occassion of 101 birth anniversary of the Indian Urdu

poet Kaifi Azmi.

Sayyid Athar Hussein Rizvi, known as Kaifi Azmi, (1919 – 2002) was an Indian Urdu

poet.

Kaifi Azmi published his first collection of poems, Jhankar in 1943 and became a

member of the influential Progressive Writers' Association that used writing to achieve

socioeconomic reforms.

He is known for bringing Urdu literature into the film industry. His legendary works such

as Pakeezah’s soundtrack Chalte Chalte and Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye from Arth have gone

down as notable contributions in Urdu language and Hindi language.

Aurat is Azmi's one of the earliest works where he spoke on women empowerment and

equality.

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weekly round up - nationalias.com€¦ · 18-01-2020 · the year 2019 was one of extremes —...

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